


a waltz when he walks in the room

by wshxn



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 17:37:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11086593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wshxn/pseuds/wshxn
Summary: jongin doesn’t tell chanyeol his days at the dance studio have become more dull―muted steps lost in the flurry of failed trials and mundane routines.





	a waltz when he walks in the room

**Author's Note:**

  * For [carpesoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/carpesoo/gifts).



> _a sequel to[song as old as rhyme](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10718199), but can be read as a standalone._

the music plays in a muted hum―a background noise to the silence jongin delves in. he spins on his toes to the quiet rhythm of the song, words absent, movement fluid and calculated. with every turn, his eyes drift to the warm glow of the sun cascading through the windows, and the melody takes him to the other side of room―a perfect spin, a flawless landing.

and then he stops.

the music carries on, but jongin is lost,  _unsure_. his thoughts scatter, and it feels very much like learning something for the first time. the dance ends unfinished and broken in the middle of an october afternoon. disappointed and a little heartbroken, jongin decides to go home.

 

 

 

 

the door opens to chanyeol’s big, goofy smile ( _welcome home, love!_ ) and a small peck on jongin’s lips as he is ushered excitedly through the foyer and to the kitchen with a hand on his back. sehun calls out from the sofa,  _hey, man_ , and baekhyun gives a wave from where he lies on sehun’s lap, fingers tangled with his best friend’s, and  _oh, is that how long it’s been?_  jongin gives them a smile of his own, and gives chanyeol’s hand a squeeze. ‘hey, you.’

‘i missed you today,’ chanyeol whispers, pulling jongin by the waist and kissing his forehead softly in greeting. ‘i saw this recipe online―’

‘he wouldn’t shut up about his pasta,’ baekhyun shouts to tease, and chanyeol flushes several shades of red like the boiling tomatoes on the pot. jongin laughs, pleased and a little over the moon. ‘you did this for me?’

‘i wanted you to come home to something nice,’ chanyeol pouts, eyeing the boiling pot with a wary glance, and jongin feels so, so warm with chanyeol’s affection. ‘i wanted to please you with my cooking!’

‘park chanyeol,’ jongin says through the low hum of the television, forehead gently pressed against the taller man’s. ‘tonight, i’ll be eating well because of you, and i’m grateful. but you’re unbelievably silly for thinking coming home to  _you_  isn’t ever good enough.’

chanyeol kisses him like it’s the first time.

 

 

 

 

jongin doesn’t tell chanyeol his days at the dance studio have become more dull―muted steps lost in the flurry of failed trials and mundane routines. there are two weeks left until the showcase, and jongin is left with the latter half of his supposed dance piece missing and lacking heart.

the room is warm with the sunlight seeping through the glass windows, and it leaves jongin feeling nostalgic and exhausted. there is a knot of uncertainty in the pit of his stomach, building up into anxiety and paranoia for fear of messing up this one piece that could establish his career in the entertainment industry.

it is in dull moments like these that he misses chanyeol most―his sunshine, the anchor that keeps him grounded, and the very reason he is dancing, why he looks forward to every waking day, despite the early hours, just to hear chanyeol sing over and over again.

jongin will always wake up to new days, and will find all the reasons to fall in love  _over and over again._

there comes a faint knock on the door, and jongin gasps with surprise. there, chanyeol appears with the biggest smile, clad in one of jongin’s sweaters and a wool scarf, and jongin almost runs to his boyfriend’s embrace. chanyeol is warm and solid around him, and his anxiety slowly melts into calm, pleased sighs.

'hey.' it is chanyeol who breaks the silence first, arms still secure around jongin's lithe frame. 'thought i'd surprise you.'

'hmm,' jongin holds on just a little tighter, and chanyeol smells just like home. 'i'm glad you're here.'

they sit with their backs against the mirror, fingers laced securely. it is comfortably silent, warm and soothing to the soul. chanyeol presses his lips atop jongin’s head, brows knotted in confusion and worry. 'is something the matter?'

it takes all of jongin’s willpower not to burst into tears because jongin dislikes greatly the feeling of utter loss, the lack of direction and assuredness in his supposed rhythmic footsteps. but chanyeol is here, chanyeol who is ever present and stable, who will be strong enough for the both of them when jongin is at his weakest. ‘ _chanyeol_.’

in the tremble in jongin’s voice, chanyeol finds an answer. he smiles to himself, shaking his head at the familiarity of being frustrated and adrift as a songwriter. gently, he pulls jongin to his feet, despite the questioning look thrown his way, and begins to hum an unfamiliar song. ‘dance with me,’ chanyeol whispers, and he hooks an arm around jongin’s waist, raising their clasped hands before stepping into a slow waltz.

jongin merely laughs on chanyeol’s shoulder, and allows their proximity to calm him as he listens to chanyeol sing softly in his ear.

 

_tell me something_  
_i do not yet know;_  
_of music that you dance to,_  
_the words that set you aglow._

_tell me of those moments_  
_that you choose to keep;_  
_the secrets in the telling,_  
_the thoughts you bury deep._

  
‘is that a new song?’ jongin asks quietly above the hum, careful not to ruin the tranquility as he is spinned gently on his toes, caught in chanyeol’s gaze when he faces him again with a timid smile. chanyeol kisses his forehead, and murmurs a simple _yes_. ‘it’s beautiful. do you think i can dance to it?’

this time, chanyeol captures his lips in a kiss so tender and sweet that it sweeps jongin blissfully off his feet. ‘it was written  _for you_.’

 

 

 

 

the apartment is rarely silent with the hum of this song from the kitchen, the first notes of a guitar riff echoing across the walls in broken melodies.

but it is in between the notes that jongin finds his rhythm.

it is in the way chanyeol's fingers would trace patterns and promises on jongin's skin; in the aromatic taste of his home-cooked meals and his laughter—loud and adventurous—that lifts jongin high above the clouds. it is in his quiet breathing when jongin stays up to just listen to the music of the rise and fall of chanyeol’s chest as he sleeps through the night. it is in the way he looks at jongin like jongin held all the marvelous things in the world, in the way he speaks jongin's name like gentle ripples of water in a vast ocean.

chanyeol is his home, his refuge. he is the fire that keeps him ablaze,  _inspired_ , and on his feet, his wings and his song when he prances along the stage in perfect harmony.

the new routine he crafted comes as easily as breathing, flowing through his body like the blood in his veins.

today, jongin will dance like nobody's watching, like he was born to end it with pirouette,  _a standing ovation._  he will claim the stage his, unbarred from the chaos that are his thoughts. he will allow his soul to be led by chanyeol's song, his ears deaf to the crowd but chanyeol's voice as it fades into the background.

and this is how it will go:

 

_you are the songs i speak of,_  
_the light the sun brings;_  
_the name that falls from my lips,_  
_the calm that silence sings._

**Author's Note:**

> diem decided to hit me in the chankai feels with this prompt, & i just really had to write it because i absolutely loved it, & i love chankai, & i love her, so. (●´ω｀●)


End file.
